Earring constructed and arranged to clampingly engage the tragus and the anti-tragus



2,823,526 0 CLAMPINGLY -TRAGUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R O T N E V W.

ATTORNEY I; M. CRIGLER Feb. 18, 1958 EARRING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED T ENGAGE THE TRAGUS AND THE ANTI Filed June 4, 1955 FIG.

FIG. 2

FIG. l3

Feb. 18, 1958 I. M. CRIGLER 2,823,526

EARRING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO CLAMPINGLY ENGAGE THE TRAGUS AND THE ANTI-TRAGUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June '4, 1953 FIG.9-

FIG. 7

FIG.8

INVENTOR ILENE M. CRIGLER,

BY g4 ATTORNEY United States PatentO EARRING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO CLAMPINGLY ENGAGE THE TRAGUS AND THE AN TI-TRAGUS Ilene M. Crigler, Alexandria, Va.; John F. Crigler, administrator of said Ilene M. Crigler, deceased Application June 4, 1953, Serial N 0. 359,531 3 Claims. or. 63-14) This invention relates vto improvements in' ear ornaments of the type commonly referred to in the art as earrings and which comprise an ornament portion and means for attaching same to a part or parts of the car.

In my prior application Serial No. 313,909, filed October '9, 1952, I have disclosed numerous form of earrings incorporating attaching means of a type which clamp to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, thus to dispose the ornament portion forwardly of said. ear parts and so that it bridges the intertragic notch, thereby to mask the more or less unsightly portion of the ear viewable therethrough. In general, such attaching means is of the clamp type comprising an inner disc-like clamping member which is inserted into the concha so as to be supported more or less vertically on edge against the horizontal floor thereof and to engage against the rear or under surfaces of both the tragus and anti-tragus, and acompanion or outer clamping member (which may be the ornament portion of the earring) which is adapted to lie flat against the frontal surface of the tragus and anti-tragus and in bridging relation to the intertragic notch, in conjunction with means such as a screw or spring for drawing said clamping members together with the force necessary to grip the tragus and vanti-tragus between them and thus firmly attach the ornament portion of the ear.

The present invention relates to earring construction characterized by attaching means operating on the prin-' ciples described above and which thus providesecurity and ease of attachment, as well as attractive disposition of the ornament portion, characterizing the earring attaching-means of my prior application, but which differsv therefrom in that the attaching means are of the simple clip-on type adapted to clip on to the tragus and antitragus ofthe ear in manner analogous to the clip-on typejof earrings which are commonly attached to'the earlobe, Thus, earring attaching means of the present invention maybe regarded-as combining the desirable features of the earring attaching means as described in my prior;applicationlandgof theclip-on type of earring attaching means in common usage.-;' ;,Mr.e'.- particul rly, the inventi n I contemplates I fa'earring incorporating ,attaching means of the socalled cliponjz typje which is-designedvto clip to the tra'gllSralldyal lti tragusg-oftheifear,'while at the same time disposing the ornament; portionpof ith'exearring forwardly of, said ear nafisraridin ,masking relation. to the. intertragic notch and:-

the more or l'essuzunsightly ear portions viewablethere-j tnmn hm; i -oiAnother:objectrofrthe inventions-is to provide anIearT. ringrincorporatingiclip means Ifor .attachingtthezornament portion. dhereofc'toi. the. tragus.- and anti-tragusl'of "theuear,

nd features of advan- 2,823,526 Patented Feb; 18, 1958 ICC from the following detailed description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings illustrating variant forms of earring attaching means as herein contemplated, wherein-- Fig. 1 illustrates the manner and positioning of one form of earring adapted to clip on to the tragus and antitragus of the ear according to the invention; 11

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the earring illustrated in Fig. 1;.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial section of the earring illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2; t

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views generally similar toFigs. 1-3, inclusive, and which illustrate an earring employing a variant form of clip-on meansfor securing the same to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear; V

Figs. 7 and 8 are side elevational and top plan views, respectively, illustrating another form of earring adapted to clip on to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear;

Fig. 9 is a rear elevational view illustrative of still another form of clip-on type earring according to the invention, and Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof;'

Figs. .11 and 12 are front and side elevational views of yet anotherform of clip-on earring operating according to the principles of the invention; a i

Fig. 13 is a section taken through a vertical plane splitting the front and rear clip jaws or members of the form of earring illustrated in Figs. 4-6, and which fur} ther illustrates the manner in which the rear clip jaw seats in the concha and is disposed rearwardly of the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, and the disposition of the clip actuating means in respect of the intertragic notch; and i Fig. .14 is a section taken along the line corresponding to line 14-14 of Fig. 13, illustrating the manner in which the attaching means as herein proposed secures to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, and the disposition of the front clip jaw (ornament portion) against the front surfaces of the tragus and anti-tragus. V 7

As explained in my prior application Serial No'l" 313,909 aforesaid, I have discovered that the structure, positioning and spacing of the car parts known as the tragus and anti-tragus render them admirably suited to serve as anchoring flanges for an earring or ear ornament, and also that when an earring is attached thereto its ornament portion is favorably disposed not only for ornamental effect, but also to mask the more or less unsightly portion of the concha of the ear viewable throughv the intertragic notch. The present application relates to' various forms of clip-on means for attaching the earring and thereby its ornament portion to such ear parts, as will now be described.

Referring-to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 10 generally describes the ornament portion of the earring, it being understood that such is typical only of the numerous possible forms and contours which said POI-.- tion may take. Regardless of such forms and contours; it is necessary for the purposes of this invention, that the. ornament portion, when the latter itself provides the outer clip jaw, have a generally smooth rear surface as well as suflicient width in its portion which is to be diSf posed forwardly of the tragus andanti-tragus of the car as to extend well over both said surfaces. Accordingly, it will be noted that the upper flower of the typical orna ment portion illustrated has width substantially" ex ceeding the'width of the inter-tragic notch designated N? with the result that its side portions extend well over the frontal surfaces of the tragus'T and anti-tragus AT of t ear, as will be hereinafter more specifically described in connection 'with Figi 14.

With the ornament portion 10 itself serving as one" clip jaw, a comp'anion clip jaw-12 disposed rearwardljj of the ornament portion is provided. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the rear or inner clip jaw 12 is hingedly connected at or adjacent its upper end to the ornament portion by means of a hinge 14, and the latter is carried by a rearwardly extending arm 16 projecting from the rear face of the ornament portion, thus to space the upper end of the inner clip jaw 12 from the ornament portion functioning as the front clip jaw.

To provide clip action, the rear clip jaw 12 may be spring-biased with respect to the ornament portion 10 so that its lower end tends to swing toward said ornament portion. In the illustrated form, the spring-bias is provided by a spring leaf 18 which may be struck out from the material of the rear clip jaw 12 and disposed so that its free upper end bears with spring pressure against a tongue 16a extending from the arm 16, as generally in dicated.

The rear clip jaw 12 has lateral dimension such that, when inserted into the concha of the ear and pressed downwardly, at least its side edge or wing portions will engage fiat against the under surfaces of the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear. The depth or vertical dimension of the rear clip jaw 12 is not unduly critical, but it is preferable that it be such that the lower edge of the jaw will bear against the horizontal surface or floor of the concha, simultaneously with its side edge or wing portions engaging against the under surfaces of the tragus and anti-tragus.

As best seen in Fig. 3, the rear clip jaw 12 is adapted to be swung rearwardly with respect to the ornament portion 10 to its open position by means connected to the lower end of the rear clip jaw and which projects forwardly through the ornament portion so as to be readily accessible from the front thereof. Illustratively, such means comprises a push pin or rod 20 connected at its rear end to the lower edge of the clip jaw 12 and terminating at its outer or forward end in an ornamental head 22 which may constitute a part of the ornamentation of the ornament portion 10 of the earring.

With the construction so far described, it will be seen more particularly from Fig. 3 that the rear clip jaw 12 tends to swing clockwise about its hinge 14 towards the rear face of the ornament portion, but that it may be manually swung in the opposite direction by finger pressure applied to the ornamented head of push rod 20. When such finger pressure is released, the rear clip jaw 12 tends to again swing clockwise or towards the ornament portion under the urge of its spring 18, thereby attaching to ear parts such as the tragus and anti-tragus disposed therebetween.

Referring to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, such illustrate another form of clip-on earring adapted to be attached to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, although employing a different form of connection between the ornament portion 24 which itself constitutes the outer or front clip Y jaw and the rear clip jaw 26. Thus, rather than the rear clip jaw 26 being biased to swing towards the ornament portion under the force of a spring, the hinge 28 which interconnects the upper ends of the ornament portion and the rear clip jaw 26, is of the so-called friction type functioning to maintain by friction the rear clip jaw 26 in any angular position to which it has been actuated. As with the prior described form, the ornament portion 24 has sufiicient width as to bridge the intertragic notch end and to extend onto the frontal surfaces of the tragus T and anti-tragus AT of the ear, and the width of at least the lower portion of the rear clip jaw 26 is sufiicient to enable its side edge portions to engage firmly against the under surfaces of the tragus and antitragus. Angular displacement of the rear clip jaw 26 is effected as by means of a push-and-pull rod 30 extending through the ornament portion 24 and terminating in an ornamented head 32. Thus, the rear clip jaw may be swung away from the ornament portion by finger pressure applied to the head 32 of the push rod in inward di- 4 rection, and may be drawn towards the ornament portion by pull exerted on the rod 30 by the fingers engaging beneath the head 32.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a further form of earring adapted to clip on to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, differing from the prior described forms in that the means for actuating the inner clip jaw 34 away from the outer clip jaw (ornament portion 36) comprises a finger piece 38 affixed to the rear clamp jaw and projecting unwardly therefrom. In this form, as with the Figs. l-3 form, the clip jaw is hingedly connected along its upper edge to the ornament portion by means of a hinge 40 incorporating a coil spring 42 serving to urge the lower end of the clip jaw 34 towards the ornament portion. Said clip jaw may be swung away from said ornament portion to its open position by simple finger pressure applied against the finger piece 38, such actuating the same and the rear clip jaw to which it connects to their open or dotted line position illustrated. The finger piece may of course be formed separate from or integral with the rear clip jaw, as desired.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10 illustrating yet another form of clip-on earring also adapted to attached to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, such effectively combines the hinge and spring means for mounting the rear clip jaw characterizing the Figs. l-3 form, with the means for actuating the rear clip jaw to its open or release position according to the Figs. 7 and 8 form. Thus, the rear clip jaw 44 is connected along its upper edge by means of a hinge 46 to an arm 48 extending rearwardly from the ornament portion 50 which constitutes the front clip jaw, and it incorporates a leaf spring 52 whose upper free end engages with spring pressure against a tongue 48a formed on the arm 48 generally as shown in Fig. 3. The rear clip jaw 44 mounts a finger piece 54 whose upper end is adapted to project upwardly thereof and thus into the upper accessible portion of the concha. Accordingly, as with the Figs. 7 and 8 form, rear clip jaw 44 may be swung to its release or open position by inserting the finger into the upper concha of the rear to a position rearwardly of the finger piece 54 and thereupon exerting finger pressure on said finder piece to force the lower end of the rear clip jaw away from the front clip jaw or ornament portion 50.

It is a further feature of the form of earring illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 that the finger piece 54 may be extended from a retracted position (illustrated in full lines in (Fig. 9), to a more accessible raised position as illustrated in dotted lines. To this end, the finger piece 54 is made of stiff wire bent to U-shape and its legs are slidably retained in notches 56, 56a provided in the tongue 48a, with the result that the finger piece may slide vertically with respect to the rear clip jaw to its extended and retracted positions, as aforesaid. This ability of the finger piece to be extended to its upper or dotted line position (Fig. 9), is of advantage in that, when in its extended position, it may be grasped more readily by the finger for the purpose of actuating the rear clip jaw to its release or open position.

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate a further variant form of earring construction adapted to clip on to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear, which differs from the prior described forms in that the clip jaws are adjusted to and thereupon locked in closed position by means such as a chain affixed to the rear or inner clamp jaw and releasably yet lockingly engaging with the outer clamp jaw.

More particularly, the outer and inner clip jaws designated 56, 58, respectively, are hingedly connected together along their upper edges as by means of a spring hinge 60 which may be of the type that biases the lower ends of said clip jaws away from one another, rather than towards one another, as with certain of the prior described forms. The outer clip jaw, which may itself be contoured to provide the body of the ornament portion or, alternatively and as shown, to provide a backing poro i e a ate .otnam n enie heath-testi P QY S .W fl i?-; Y:hl hined en ine! antenna is t e d d ar hs n fit' t ati t nn qn r th lqwer edge of the inner clip jaw 58 by any suitablemeans. The chain 64 may carry at its outer prforward; end a pendanttype ornament, generally as shown, which cooperates t t m e t Portion in providiu iorpamsnt effect su as is .us l r l f o dsby 42 124119; ear in s- It will also be observed thatthe inner or rearclip jaw 58 according to the Figs. -1l and l2 form, while functioning similarly t the at1in-iai e1L 2, 34 a 44 of the prior described forms, ditfers therefrom structurally in that it is formed of stiff wire 'bent to a closed loop having sidearmswhich are extended-laterally-to provide wing portions 58a and 58b w hich supply the necessary width dimension enabling said clipjaw to engage against the under surfaces of the tragus and anti tragus.

By referenc'e'to Fig. 12, it will be seen' thatthe clip jaws 56 and 58are porrnally disposed in thein'spread (nongripping) relation due to the bias of the spring. hinge .60. When it is desired to clip such"an'ea rrin to the tragus and anti-tragus 'of the ear, the inner clip aw'is inserted into the concha, and the 'chain'is shifte'd'into' the circular portion of the keyhole opening 62'ofi'th 'front clip jaw 56. Thereupon, the latter may npw beforced towards the rear clip jaw SS toa poisitionin whichsaid jaws cooperate in clipping to the tragus and anti-tragus. The chain is now lowered into the narrow straight-sided portion of the keyhole opening 62, resulting in the outer clip jaw 56 being held in its closed or clip-on position with respect to the inner clip jaw 58.

While it is believed that the manner of applying earrings incorporating attaching means as described in the foregoing will be clear from the preceding description, such will be briefly described in connection with Figs. 13 and 14 which, while illustrating an earring of the Figs. 46 form, nevertheless typify the manner in which all of the illustrated forms of earring attach to the ear parts as aforesaid. Thus, in Fig. 13, it will be seen that the rear or inner clip jaw, which may be any one of the inner clip jaws designated 12, 26, 34, 44 and 58, is in the position which it assumes when it is inserted into the concha and preferably lowered sufliciently as to rest on edge against the floor of the concha. Due to the lateral dimensioning of said inner clip jaw, it extends an appreciable distance under both the tragus and anti-tragus. It will also be observed that in such lowered or "in use position of the inner clip jaw, the push and pull rod 30 projects forwardly from the concha through the intertragic notch N, and preferably in a position such that it bears against the curved lower end edge thereof. A similar disposition of the push rod of the Figs. 1-3 form, and of the locking chain 64 of the Figs. 11 and 12 form, results upon proper insertion of their inner clip jaws into the concha as aforesaid.

Referring now to Fig. 14, it will be seen that when the outer clip jaw 24, which may be any of the ornament portions 10, 36, 50 and 58, is operatively associated with the inner clip jaw in the in use position of both said jaws, they cooperate to grip between them the tragus and anti-tragus and thus firmly attach the ornament portion to the ear forwardly of said ear parts, while at the same time disposing the ornament portion in position such that it masks the intertragic notch and car parts viewable therethrough. In the particular form of ear construction illustrated in Figs. 4-6, relative movement of said clip jaws to their closed position is brought about by a slight pull exerted by the fingers on the rod 30, such closing the space between the respective clip jaw, the friction hinge 28 thereupon maintaining the said jaws in the position to which they have been adjusted. In the Figs. 1-3 form, in the Figs. 7 and 8 form and in the Figs. 9 and 10 form, relative movement of the jaws to their closed or in use position takes place automatically under the urge of their spring means, which, when free to do so, forces the jawstogether. I n the Figs. 11 and 12 form,'movement of the clip jaws to their closed or in use position results upon forcing the outer clip jaw (or the ornament portion) inwardly towards the inner clip jaw and locking of said jaws closed by proper manipulation of the chain 64.

From the above, it will be seen that each of the various forms of earring illustrated and described above are capable of being attached by clipping to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear and of disposing the ornament portion of the earring in a favorable, comfortable and earornamenting position. Thus, the earring constructions according to the present invention achieve the desirable objectives of earring constructions according to my prior. application Serial No. 313,909, while at the same are characterized by the ease of attachment afforded by simple clip means as distinguished from companion clamping means operated as by a screw or spring. Clip-on earrings according to the present application are also of advantage in that the clip means by which they are attached may be made sufiiciently sturdy as to comfortably support large and/or relatively weighty ear ornaments, which was not heretofore possible ofattainment without discomfort to the wearer.

Asrnany changes could be made in carrying out the above co nstructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limit-v ing sense.

I claim:

1. An earring including an ornament portion, means for clipping said ornament portion to the tragus and anti-tragus of the ear and including said ornament portion functioning as one clip jaw .and having lateral dimension such that it is adapted to bridge the intertragic notch and to engage on the frontal surfaces of said tragus and anti-tragus, a generally parallel companion member hingedly connected along its upper edge to said ornament portion and functioning as an inner clip jaw, the lower end portion of the inner clip-jaw member having edge contour and lateral dimension such as enables it to be freely inserted fiatwise and lowered into the concha opening and its side edge portions to engage against the under surfaces of said tragus and anti-tragus, means for maintaining said ornament portion and said inner clip-jaw member clamped to said ear surfaces and cooperating means on said ornament portion and said clip-jaw member for imparting relative swinging movement thereto including means aflixed to the inner clipjaw member and extending forwardly thereof through the ornament portion and having length such that its forward end is accessible from the front side of said ornament portion and further having longitudinal rigidity and extending forwardly from the lower and substantially middle portion of the inner clip-jaw member thereby when the earring is clamped to the ear to pass through said intertragic notch.

2. An earring including an ornament portion, means for clipping said ornament portion to the tragus and antitragus of the ear and including said ornament portion functioning as one clip jaw and having lateral dimension such that it is adapted to bridge the intertragic notch and to engage on the frontal surfaces of said tragus and anti-tragus, a generally parallel companion member hingedly connected along its upper edge to said ornament portion and functioning as an inner clip jaw, the lower end portion of the inner clip-jaw member having edge contour and lateral dimension such as enables it to be freely inserted flatwise and lowered into the concha opening and its side edge portions to engage against the under surface of said tragus and anti-tragus, spring means normally urging the lower end potion of the inner clip-jaw member toward the ornament portion, and means carried by said inner clip-jaw member and adapted to pass through said intertragic notch for ac- "game tuating the lower portion thereof away from the ornarnent portion as required to permit insertion of said clip-jaw member into the concha of the ear and rearwardly of the tragus and anti-tragus, said last means being affixed to the lower end portion of the inner clipjaw member and extending forwardly thereof through said ornament portion and being of a length as to readily be accessible from the front side of said ornament portion when said ornament portion and inner clip-jaw member are in clamped position, and further having longitudinal rigidity.

3. An earring including an ornament portion, means for clipping said ornament portion to the tragus and {anti-tragus of the ear and including said ornament portion functioning as one clip jaw and having lateral dimension such that it is adapted to bridge the intertragic notch and to engage on the frontal surfaces of said tragus and anti-tragus, a generally parallel companion member hingedly connected along its upper edge to said ornament portion and functioning as an inner clip jaw, the lower end portion of the inner clip-jaw member having edge contour and lateral dimension such as enables it to be freely inserted flatwise and lowered into the concha opening and its side edge portions to engage against the under surfaces of said tragus and anti-tragus,

friction hinge means providing said connection and being constructed and arranged so as to maintain said ornament portion andsaid inner clip-jaw member in a desired relative angular position, and means carried by said inner clip-jaw member and adapted to pass through said intertragic notch for actuating the lower portion of said clip-jaw member towards and away from said ornament portion as required to permit insertion of the clipjaw member into the concha of the ear and rearwardly of the tragus and anti-tragus and thereupon to clamp to said ear parts, said last means being aflixed to the lower end portion of the inner clip-jaw member and extending forwardly thereof through said ornament portion and having length such that its forward end is readily accessible from the front side of said ornament portion and further having longitudinal rigidity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,391,635 Mark Dec. 25, 1945 2,405,025 Feingold July 30, 1946 2,414,382 McCann Jan. 14, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 895,670 France Jan. 31, 1945 907,214 France Mar. 6, 1946 

